Introduction:
My name is Anastasia Vasilchuk, and I represent the Belarusian Human Rights Center “Viasna.” Our organization monitors human rights violations in the country, documents repressions, and assists the victims of these repressions. You may also have heard about the head of “Viasna” – the prominent human rights defender Ales Bialiatski, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. However, such a prestigious award did not prevent the Belarusian authorities from sentencing Ales Bialiatski to 10 years in prison solely for his peaceful human rights activities. Today, I am here to provide an overview of the human rights situation in Belarus. And this situation is catastrophic.
How It All Began:
Under Lukashenka, who has been in power since 1994, for nearly 30 years, Belarus has never been a democratic country, and human rights have always been violated. However, everything took a sharp turn for the worse in 2020, when the presidential elections were held in Belarus. Even before the elections began, Lukashenka eliminated his main competitors by imprisoning them, but he did not anticipate that his main competitor would turn out to be the wife of one of them, blogger Siarhei Tsikhanouski – Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Lukashenka rigged the election results, claiming victory for himself, but the people did not accept this and took to the streets to protest all over the country.
Then, mass arrests and torture began: according to our estimates, more than 13,000 people were detained in the first few days after the elections. People were severely beaten during arrests and tortured in detention centers. We are aware of at least 5,000 cases of beatings and torture, but we understand that the actual number could be much higher.
In response to the violence from the security forces, even more people began to protest. However, the protests were brutally suppressed, and after a few months, people stopped taking to the streets. But the Lukashenko regime did not leave people alone after the protests ended. He decided to further punish them and turn the country into a political concentration camp.
What do we have now?
Since then, political detentions, administrative and criminal cases have become commonplace. According to human rights defenders, since the start of the 2020 presidential campaign, over 60,000 people have been detained in Belarus, thousands of criminal political cases have been initiated, and more than 5,000 people have been convicted in such cases. Almost 3,500 people have been recognized as political prisoners during this period, and we often learn about many only when they are released from prison. More than a thousand people have already been released from prisons after serving their full sentences, but as some are released, others are imprisoned, effectively taking the place of those who have been freed.
According to various sources, after 2020, between 500,000 and 1 million people have left Belarus, fearing political persecution and due to the worsening economic situation. Those active individuals who remain in Belarus are forced to go underground, continuing their activities covertly, and living in an atmosphere of fear.
Many dismissals. During this time, over 1,500 civil society organizations in Belarus have been liquidated, and independent media have been destroyed or banned. Such media and many other
public organizations, including my organization, have been declared “extremist” in Belarus. This means that communicating with us or providing us with information can lead to criminal charges, and a person can receive a real prison term.
Why are people imprisoned in Belarus? Participation in protests is one reason—people are arrested almost daily for having taken part in peaceful demonstrations several years ago. Comments on the internet expressing opinions about the current government can also lead to imprisonment, even for
simply liking a post. People are prosecuted for creating and participating in protest chats, giving interviews to independent media, or making donations to support protest initiatives. Donating $20 to a solidarity fund in 2020 can result in up to six years of imprisonment. Similar sentences have been given to those who opposed the Russian invasion of Ukraine and shared photos and videos of Russian military movements with the media and Telegram channels, trying to help in any way they could.
Over the past year, Lukashenka’s regime has intensified its pressure on the relatives and close associates of activists and political prisoners. Earlier this year, a wave of searches and interrogations swept across the country, targeting those who assist political prisoners. Repressed activists, former political prisoners, and their relatives who fled the country are now being tried in absentia and having their property confiscated.
The regime aims to further intimidate both those in Belarus and those who have left but remain active, attempting to suppress any expressions of solidarity and silence dissent.
However, I believe that the Belarusian authorities will not succeed. I believe that solidarity and support are stronger than repression. Thank you so much for being here today and for your genuine interest in what is happening in Belarus. Our goal is to convey that the repressions have not ceased with the protests; they continue to occur daily.